


The Summers with You

by aileruua



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternative Universe - Flower Shop, Friends to Lovers, It'll make sense, Kinda, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, Summer Vacation, but not really it's actually a flower farm, i kinda write in a poetic style i'm so sorry if it's confusing, i'll add more characters as they come in, small enough for mostly everyone to know each other, they live in a small town but not that small
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 17:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16499390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aileruua/pseuds/aileruua
Summary: “How much was it?” Keith asked.“$2.60 per stem, so $18.20 for seven.”Keith pulls out a $20, hands it over to Lance, and leaves simply by saying, “See you around… and keep the change."-Lance is reunited with the Keith, nine years after he had stolen flowers from the McClain Flower Farm.





	The Summers with You

He remembered the spot of lavender that danced blissfully with the wind and the patches of peonies that decorated the flower farm. He remembered the bees that enjoyed their stay in the summer and the battle between the cool breeze and blazing sun. He remembered the distant sound of his family speaking as they collected the flowers. Most vibrantly of all, Lance remembered the sunflowers that towered over his small form, and in that sea of yellow, he met another who stole seven sunflowers. A boy who was no taller than him and who had fashioned the flowers into a crown, admiring it in his hands before noticing the other. There were few words that were exchanged during their first encounter, words that would make Lance smile.

“I’ll pay for these later,” the thief had said before he ran off into the nearby forest.

 

The second time Lance saw him was three days later. He was picking grass out from a field next to the greenhouse. Lance was supposed to check up on the orchids and amazon lilies, but he was whisked away by the sunflower thief. They played hide and seek in the acres of land they had to their advantage, only stopping once the sun was in the middle of the sky.

“Aw, it’s time for lunch. I have to go…” Lance sulked, coming out of his hiding spot in the daisies.

“Oh… Alright,” the boy said, already getting ready to leave, “I had fun!”

And he was off and had forgotten to pay back what he owed.

 

The third time Lance saw him was a week after the second. This time, Lance was determined to get three things out of the boy: his name, his age, and the money.

As soon he spotted the other sitting on the picket fence, he marched up to him and puffed, “Money, please.”

“Hello to you, too,” The boy remarked.

“Hi. The money?” Lance insisted, holding his hand out.

“Mm, don’t have it today. Sorry…”

Lance pouted and put his hand down, “Fine, but you better pay soon. Also… What’s your name?”

“Huh, oh, it’s Keith,” he answered, jumping down. “What’s yours?”

“Lance.”

“Cool... Wanna play pirates or aliens?”

“Hm. Both, but wait. How old are you?” Lance asked, walking to where the flowers meet the forest.

“Eight, but my birthday’s in October, so I’ll be turning nine.” Keith nodded along.

“What?!” Lance exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks, “You’re eight? I’m turning eight next week!”

“No way… I’ve been hanging out with an seven year old? Jeez...” Keith scoffed, passing Lance.

“Psh, whatever, but you better come next week. To my birthday party. There’s gonna be a cake and everything,” Lance nudged Keith.

“Alright, I’ll do my best.”

 

He never came. The ‘Great Battle of the Space Pirates’ became the last time Lance ever saw him. Before he knew it, Keith had disappeared into the forest. It never really hit him that he was gone until school came. When he asked around, one kid said that a firefighter that recently died had a son named Keith and had to be moved into foster care. It hurt, to say the least. He was hurt for Keith.

 

But that was nine years ago. The summer where Lance had met the boy that made an unpaid purchase was nine years ago. Over the course of those years, Keith only came up in conversations where his best friends would tease him about it and in his thoughts when his mind seemed to dive back into the past. Occasionally, he imagined seeing Keith again, but fleeting were the thoughts of them actually meeting again.

Nine years and Lance was still doing the same tasks of taking care of the flowers that swallowed the McClain Flower Farm and going to school. His days consisted of going to school, learning, coming back from school, re-potting the perennials, arranging bouquets, harvesting the lavender, eating dinner, and crashing into bed. A monotonous cycle that rarely was ever broken, but it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. His best friends provided variety whenever they decided they had enough free time to spend helping him out, and with school ending and summer rolling in, they were always at the farm.

 

Lance stood at the edge of the sunflower patch, reminiscing that summer, when he heard footsteps in the soil. He didn’t peel his eyes away to know who it was.

“Hey, Hunk. Hey, Pidge.” He smiled unknowingly at the sunflowers, remembering how younger him would’ve hoped that it was Keith instead of his best friends.

“Were you thinking about that sunflower thief, again?” Pidge questioned, a smirk evident on her face.

“What?! No. What? Why--” Lance stuttered, snapping his attention away from his dated memories.

“Dude, not to be a downer, but it’s been nine years,” Hunk put his hand on Lance’s shoulder, “You gotta let it go.”

“Let what go? There’s nothing to let go! I was just… thinking about it. Y’know what, let’s just get to work.” Lance pushed past them and hurried toward the house. It was funny to the other two that Lance thought they didn’t notice his ears turning red.

 

Midday broke in with sweltering heat, causing Pidge to make the call that it was break time. They all hopped onto the family golf cart with Hunk at the wheel. Silence was fueled by exhaustion and the need for a nap. The hum of the engine and seasonal bugs were the only noises. Eventually, Lance fell out of the lull and looked out into the expanse of a floral ocean, reminiscences of that one summer washing in with the waves. There was no logical explanation as to why he seemed to think back to that, now more than ever. Perhaps fate was pulling the wind in a direction for him to follow. _How poetic_ , he thought.

Swayed by the sentiment, his gaze followed the way the breeze blew a dandelion’s seeds across the path of the car and unto the street next to them. It was then that those waves of reminiscent memories hit him the hardest. Everything seemed quick. His thoughts, his heart, his storm. And as he passed, the world slowed, and Lance could make out every detail of the person standing on the other side of the fence. From his mullet to his shoes.

Moments like this would only ever happen in those romantic-comedies Lance’s younger sister would force him to watch. He’d never think in his life he would pull a stunt fit for one, and yet, here he was, yelling for Hunk to stop the golf cart. He jumped off and over the fence, running towards the boy from time’s nostalgia. His beaten shoes fell a few short in front of the other, and adrenaline filled his veins.

“Keith.” Lance managed between pants.

“Lance.” Keith uttered, almost as if he were surprised to see him. “I just—um, well. I wanted to stop by to give you something I owe…”

Keith reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet, while every movement is a reminder to Lance that this was all real. For a few moments, he felt like a seven year old again.

“How much was it?” He asked, knocking Lance back to the present.

“$2.60 per stem, so $18.20 for seven.” He recited, those words finally said after nine years.

Keith pulls out a $20, hands it over to Lance, and leaves simply by saying, “See you around… and keep the change.”

 

As he strides down the side of the road, all Lance could do was stare. That’s all it took for him to indulge into those childhood memories of that sunflower thief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first fic on AO3. i hope you enjoyed it a lot more than i enjoyed writing it. if you have questions, i have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/aileruua) and a [tumblr](https://lance-mcslayin.tumblr.com/). fair warning, i'm more likely to be on my twitter than my tumblr.
> 
> big thanks to everyone who read this beforehand and helped me edit it, i won't name names for the sake of privacy but you know who you are!


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